


The Devil Within

by KisaTheStrange



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU where Bower's gang are still alive, Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Human Pennywise (IT), IT 2017 - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Patrick Hockstetter is His Own Warning, Pennywise (IT) - Freeform, Pennywise the dancing clown, Phobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Horror, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Stephen King's IT - Freeform, but with roman godfrey's name and look, human form is basically bill skarsgard, insectphobia, patrick doing patrick things, patrick harrasses OC a lot, pennywise - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-01-30 05:09:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12646746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KisaTheStrange/pseuds/KisaTheStrange
Summary: Rachel Gibson is now 18 years old and returning to Derry, 5 years after the events of 1989. Trying to come to terms with the gruesome memories and past encounter with the demonic clown, Pennywise, Rachel tries to rekindle her friendship with the Losers Club and live a normal life. Unfortunately, returning to Derry and reuniting with the Losers for their Senior year also attracts the attention of the Bowers' Gang, more specifically Patrick Hockstetter, and their idea of a reunion is anything but heartfelt. But when the past comes back to haunt them, and a mysterious stranger comes to town, the Losers' Club realize just how unpredictable IT can be.





	1. Home Sweet Home

 

 

 

**_Derry Hospital, Maine, 10.23pm 1994_ **

****

****

****

 

I woke up in my hospital bed, the only light in the room was from the TV on in front of me, an old black and white movie playing on the screen. It might have been The Bride of Frankenstein, I wasn’t so sure. There was a sharp pain in my head, my right leg had been put in a small cast and I had several stitches on my face and hands. I didn’t know what I was doing here, but the pain in my head was getting worse and I needed to get out of this bed. I shifted myself, with great difficulty, off the bed. Holding onto the metal rod my drip was attached to, I limped quietly out of the room and looked around to see if there were any nurses in sight. There was nobody, everything was oddly silent which added to my confusion. I looked at the drip attached to my hand and ripped it off, I didn’t want to be dragging this massive thing around with me, and it was slowing me down. I continued limping along the corridor, using the wall to lean against and give myself some support. 

 

“Hello? Is anybody here?” I called out, the corridor seemed to be getting longer. I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination or not. 

 

I kept on walking forward until the lights began flickering, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. I heard a sinister giggle in the distance and whipped my head around to see who it was, but nobody was there. 

 

“Hello?” I called out once again. 

 

I looked over at the reception desk, and watched as a single red balloon floated upwards from behind the desk. My heart began beating fast, the balloon began floating towards me, getting closer and closer. It got right up in front of me before it stopped, I could see the words “Get Well Soon” written on the balloon in black. I stayed staring at this balloon before it popped all of a sudden, I jumped and noticed a tall man standing at the end of the corridor. 

 

This tall man wore a Victorian-esque clown suit, with a mess of orange hair and smiling red lips. This tall man was Pennywise. 

 

“Oh fuck...” I said in a hushed tone, shaking violently at the sight of the killer being before me. 

 

Pennywise’s mouth stretched into a big grin. “Where ya going, Rachel? You won’t get far with that little problem,” he mocked, indicating the cast on my leg. 

 

I shivered, whimpering as I limped backwards, pushing myself back against the wall. This isn’t real, this can’t be real. He can’t be alive now, he just can’t. 

 

Pennywise’s grin stretched further, as if he could read my thoughts. He let out a high-pitched chuckle. “Oh, but I am real, Rachel. I’m very real. And very hungry...” he said, a pool of drool dripping down from his lips. A low growl escaped from the back of his throat. 

 

I panicked and made a run for it, trying to get as far away from Pennywise as possible. It was difficult trying to run with this cast on my leg, I could hear Pennywise’s laugh echo throughout the corridor and ended up tripping over and falling hard on my knees. I quickly scrambled up onto my feet and continued running; I looked back over my shoulder to see if Pennywise was behind me, but he was nowhere to be seen. That was, until I collided head first into the tall entity itself, a loud scream escaped my lips as he grabbed a hold of my arms. 

 

“Let’s make this a little more interesting then, shall we? How’s about generic serial killer chasing a poor girl in a hospital? That sound good to you?” Pennywise laughed, his toothy grin all too close for my liking. 

 

I struggled desperately against his grip; pulling my good leg up, I jammed my foot against his stomach and pushed myself backwards, causing him to let go of me as I fell back onto the ground. I quickly pulled myself back up and began running in the opposite direction. 

 

“I was always told never to play with my food, but I simply can’t resist. You need a little extra seasoning,” Pennywise chuckled, watching me run up ahead. 

 

I didn’t bother looking back this time, I needed to get out of this hospital and try and get help somewhere. I spotted a door leading to the stairs and wrenched it open, running straight into a pool of blood smothered across the floor. There were dead bodies lying everywhere, upon each step down towards the exit and flung over the railings like limp rags. I shivered violently, gasping for breath as I tried to take in the gruesome scene before me. But there was no time to waste, I gingerly stepped over each body as I made my way down the stairs, the sound of blood squelching beneath my feet made me shudder and I had to swallow back a bit of vomit. I was just about near the exit when I slipped and toppled down on top of one of the corpses lying in front of the door, I yelped and struggled to get myself off this dead body; when suddenly its’ arms sprung to life and wrapped themsleves around me. I screamed loudly as I tried to break free from its’ grip, the corpse began laughing maniaclly and I looked up to see it smiling at me. Its’ face grotesque and contorted. 

 

“Let’s get close, Rachel. Hell, I’m already stiff!” the corpse spat, letting out a high-pitched laugh. 

 

“Let go of me!!” I screamed, pulling myself back and successfully breaking free from the dead body. I quickly yanked open the door and ran outside, it was pouring down with rain; I could barely see in front of me. 

 

“Somebody please help me!” I cried out. 

 

I could see a small shed up ahead of me, relief suddenly washing over me. Perhaps there was someone in there, or at least a phone I could use to call for help. I got to the door and twisted the handle desperately, it was locked. Just my luck. I ran over to the side of the shed and seen the window was slightly opened, I wedged my arm underneath the small gap and began pushing it up so that there was enough room for me to squeeze through and get inside. I shut the window behind me, though I knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. That clown would get me either way. I spotted a phone on top of the desk next to me and grabbed hold of it, fumbling with the keys to type in the numbers, though I was shivering so much from fear and the cold that I could barely dial it. I waited eagerly for an answer but there was nothing but static coming from the phone, I slammed it down in anger, I should have known it was too good to be true. Pennywise, IT, probably made sure to mess with the phone lines. 

 

I was startled by a sudden bang on the front door, I dropped to my knees and crawled under the desk, trying to hide in hopes that whatever it was would eventually go away. The door knob twisted and the banging continued for a few minutes, until it stopped abruptly. The room was eerily silent. I peeked my head out from under the desk, there was no one around and for one mad magical moment I thought I was safe. Oh, how foolish of me for thinking so. The window suddenly smashed open, causing me to let out a shriek. Standing there behind the now broken window, holding a large axe, was Pennywise himself. 

 

“Heeeere’s Penny!” he announced, laughing sadistically as he climbed through the window. 

 

“S-stay the fuck away from me!” I screamed, dodging out from under the desk and heading to the door. I grabbed at the handle, twisting it this way and that, but it wouldn’t budge. Pennywise was towering over me within seconds, grabbing hold of me as I screamed and struggled against his grip. He threw me down onto the cold, hard ground. I whimpered, trying to crawl away from him, looking back I seen Pennywise raise the axe high in the air, there was no escaping him now. He was going to kill me. I caught a glimpse of the blade flying through the air towards me- 

 

\--- 

 

I woke up screaming and thrashing in bed. I sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, I was sweating buckets. That dream... It felt so real. I could almost feel the blade slicing through my flesh, I felt around my body for any wounds, but there wasn’t a scratch to be seen. The TV in the room was the only source of light in the room as some black and white movie played on the screen, I almost expected it to be the same movie as in my dream, but much to my relief it wasn’t. I shifted myself out of bed and made my way towards the bathroom, I switched on the light and headed over to the sink to splash some water on my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I hadn’t had a dream about that clown in so long, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still affected by what happened in that summer of ‘89. It’s been 5 years now, yet I still remember every little detail. Trust me to have a nightmare in some old motel in Boston, the night before I head back to Derry of all times. My dad, the douchebag District Attorney of Derry, thought it would be a good idea to send me to some high-class school in Los Angeles for the last 4 years. He thought it would be a great opportunity to help broaden my skills, though secretly I felt it was just to keep me away from Derry until I forgot all about my “mad clown hallucinations” and “started acting like a proper young member of society”. Absolute bullshit. 

 

It wasn’t all bad, admittedly it did help distract me from thinking too much about those horrible events, and I got to live with my Aunt. She was probably the only member of my dad’s side of the family that wasn’t such a stick in the mud, and she had a cool record collection. For my 16th birthday she got me my first car. Well, by got I mean it was this second hand pickup truck from one of my cousins, but I still loved it all the same. 

 

And now here I am, in some crappy motel trying to get some sleep before I make my long journey back to Derry. Yet, almost coincidentally, I had a nightmare about that clown. It made me feel sick to my stomach, but IT couldn’t hurt me now. IT was dead. Or if IT was still alive, it would have gone into hibernation and wouldn’t awaken for another 22 years or so. So really, there was nothing to worry about there. Though that wasn’t the only downside to going back to Derry, I’d also have to live with my father again, and pretend everything is ok. That being said, it wasn’t all bad. I’d get to see my old friends again, The Losers Club...did they still call themselves that now? I guess no matter what we’d always be Losers, it’s what brought us together. I’m sure they’d be just as excited to see me again. 

 

I wiped the water off my face with a towel and tossed it into the corner, making my way back into the room and crawling underneath the covers in an attempt to get some sleep. It was difficult, my stomach was in knots and I couldn’t shake off the uneasiness that dream had brought upon me. I tossed and turned for the rest of the night, until I managed to drift off to sleep for a total of about 2 hours before the alarm went off. I groaned, agitated that I had to get up and drive the rest of the way to Derry; I was gonna need several cups of coffee to be able to make that trip, that’s for sure. Thank God for the diner next to the motel I was staying at, several cups of coffee and some french toast later I was in my car and ready to make my long journey back to Derry; at least the weather was good. It was October time, my favorite month of the year. I loved seeing the Autumn leaves falling around the ground, and the nice chill weather we were finally getting, I always found Autumn somewhat comforting. That, and it also meant Halloween was just around the corner, my favorite holiday. I couldn’t wait to spend it with the rest of the Losers, first Halloween in 5 years. I was excited. 

 

It felt like I was driving forever until I finally saw the familiar sign “Welcome to Derry” up ahead, I’d had to make a pitstop along the way for another cup of coffee as I was starting to feel less awake, but here I am at last. It felt strange being back, and unsuprisingly Derry hadn’t changed a bit. I was so lost in thought I didn’t notice the car right in front of me, the blasting of his horn snapping me back to reality and causing me to break so sudden to avoid crasing into him. 

 

“Crazy punk bitch!” the driver yelled at me from his window before driving off down the road. I raised my middle finger up at him. 

 

Home, sweet home. 

 

I drove on until I reached the familiar building of my home, with my dad being the District Attorney and all we lived in quite a grand looking house. I should feel thankful for it, but honestly I hated it. It didn’t matter how nice the house was, my dad lived there and that was enough to make it shit for me. I could see him now as I parked my car outside, his arms were folded and he had a forced grin plastered on his face. I got out of the car and hauled my suitcase out from the back, he was walking up to me now. 

 

“Sweetheart! I’m so glad you’re back home to us! Here, let me get that for you. God, you must be tired after your long journey!” Dad said, cheerily. He grabbed hold of my bag and I followed him through the front door into the house, the place certainly looked like it hadn’t changed much either. What with a few new paintings and ornaments here and there, Dad’s new girlfriend liked all that arty crap. I suppose it did brighten up the place. 

 

I forced a smile on my face. “I’m glad to be back home, Dad. Where’s Susan?” 

 

“Oh she got caught up in the office today, she’ll be back home in time for dinner though. Are you hungry, Rachel? Thirsty, maybe? Susan brought home some great tea the other day,” said Dad, setting down my suitcase. 

 

“Sounds great, Dad, but I’m actually really tired. I’m just gonna bring my stuff up to the room and take a nap,” I said, quickly. 

 

“No problem, honey, you go get some rest and I’ll see you in a while!” said Dad. 

 

I forced another smile on my face, grabbed hold of my suitcase and made my way up the stairs to my room. I looked around my room, my old posters still hung up on the wall, everything was still decorated the way my rocker 13 year old self liked, and I still loved it. I set my suitcase down in the corner of the room, kicked off my shoes and dived into bed. Not caring that I still had my clothes on, the familiar sweet scent comforted me and I could feel exhaustion taking over. I shut my eyes and soon enough I had drifted off into a deep sleep. 

 

_Welcome back to Derry, Rachel._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Light It Up

_Rachel....Raaachel...I’m coming to get you.”_

_I felt long fingers on my throat, his hot breath beating down on me, I felt trapped. Utterly frozen in fear as his hands tightened their grip on my throat. I was choking. I looked up at the yellow eyes boring into my blue ones, the evil clown smiling wickedly before me._

_“Time to float.”_

 

I woke up gasping, my whole body covered in sweat. I looked around in a panic, but soon relaxed when I realized I was still back in my own room. I glanced over at the clock, it read 6:30pm. Jeez, was I really asleep for that long? 

The sudden sound of a knock on my door caused me to jump, but it was only my dad. 

“Hey sweetheart, have a good sleep? Sorry to disturb you, but there’s someone at the door for you,” said dad. 

I frowned, unsure of who could be calling around for me. I sat up and stretched, still feeling groggy from the long sleep I had. I got up from my bed and made my way down the stairs towards the front door, until I heard Susan call me from the living room. 

“Your little friend’s in here, Rachel!” Susan called out. 

My heart skipped a beat, did she mean someone from the Losers’ Club? It had to be! I ran into the living room and was immediately greeted by a familiar mess of curly hair and a smiling face, it was Stan. 

“Stan! Oh my god, hey!” I said, excitedly. I rushed up to give him a massive hug, squeezing him tightly. 

“Rachel! I’m so glad you’re back!” he grinned, hugging me back just as tightly. 

Stan had changed quite a bit over the years, he still had a bit of a baby face, but less so than when I’d seen him last. He was much taller now, I wasn’t that short for a girl but Stan was still a couple of inches taller than me. Other than that, he still seemed to be pretty much the same nervous Stanley I’d grown to be great friends with. Out of the other Losers, I always felt that bit closer to Stan. Probably because he lived a couple of blocks down from my house, but I felt like I could talk to him about anything. 

“How did you know I was back?” I asked. 

“I was heading back from town and seen this new car parked outside your house, I figured it might have been you so I just had to call and see. I know it’s...kinda weird and lame doing that,” said Stan, laughing nervously. 

“No, it’s not lame at all. I’m so glad you did!” I said, grinning. 

“I’m just glad you’re back, we’ve all missed you,” said Stan, giving a sad smile. 

“I’ve missed you guys too!” I paused. “Say, wanna go get dinner at the diner and catch up on everything?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Stan. 

\--- 

 

The diner was warm and comforting, the place hadn’t changed a bit since I left. Including the menu. I wasn’t complaining though, my usual was still on there and I could barely wait to chow down on some good food. I took a sip of my cola while Stan nervously twiddled his thumbs under the table, I could see there was a million questions on his mind and he wasn’t sure which to ask first. 

Stan cleared his throat. “So...I’m guessing LA sucked hard?” 

I shrugged. “It wasn’t all bad, I mean it was really different and new. LA is huge and there was just so much to see, but honeslty I would have enjoyed it more with you guys,” I said, fiddling with the straw in my glass. 

“Maybe we can all take a road trip down there someday,” said Stan, his face softening. 

“I’d like that,” I said, smiling. “Dad enrolled me to start my senior year at Derry High, so looks like I won’t be getting away from school that easily. Bummer.” 

“Damn, but at least this means we’ll all be doing our senior year together - school hasn’t been the same without you to be honest,” said Stan, chuckling. 

“I’m sure Mrs Evans has missed me something terrible,” I said, grinning. I paused, gripping the straw between my fingers. “It’s still weird being back in Derry. Especially after...well, you know.”

Stan went quiet, the color draining from his face. He looked down, trying to avoid my gaze as I waited for him to say something. 

“I...I t-try not to think about...that time, really...” said Stan, his voice slightly hoarse. 

“But you can’t forget about it right? Because I know I can’t, and my dickhead of a father can try and make me pretend it was nothing, and that it was all in my head, but I know it wasn’t. And you know damn well it wasn’t either,” I said, gripping my straw so fiercely. 

Stan swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “I know...I know it happened...and God. I-I really wish it didn’t. I try not to think about it because it...it still scares me. What we all went through...I just can’t forget it no matter how hard I try,” said Stan, still avoiding my eyes. 

“We can’t forget about it, not just because it’s fucking traumatized us. But because we need to remember, if it comes back-” 

“Don’t, Rachel. I don’t even want to think about it coming back. Hell, we probably killed it back in Neibolt anyway...” said Stan, digging his fingers into his knees. 

“But what if we didn’t, Stan? What if it’s still down in that...place. Sleeping, until it wakes up 20 years later to start that whole nightmare all over again. We can’t just ignore it like the rest of this fucking town, we have to make it stop for good!” I said. 

“How, Rachel? Tell me that! How can you kill something that isn’t really anything?” said Stan, finally staring back at me. Frustration plastered on his face. 

“We have to try. Look...let’s head down to Neibolt,” I said, lowering my voice. 

“Are you insane? Why would you wanna go back there?” Stan hissed, leaning in. 

I frowned. “You promised if it came back we’d get rid of it,” I said. 

“I specifically remember promising that _if_ it came back, we’d come back to Derry. Y’know, 22 years from now when it’s actually supposed to wake up?” said Stan. 

“So why wait until then? Why not just kill the son of a bitch while it’s asleep? Wouldn’t that make everything so much easier?” I said. I slammed my money down on the table and quickly got up from my seat, heading straight for the door. 

Stan panicked, quickly placing his own money down and running after me. “Rachel? Rachel! Slow down! Where are you going?” Stan called after me, trying to keep his voice quiet as not to attract attention from the people in the diner. 

I opened the door and stepped outside, Stan finally caught up to me and grabbed hold of my arm. “Wait, Rachel! Can you just stop for a second?” he said. 

I was about to turn around and answer Stan when all of a sudden a familiar face came into view, and I stopped dead in my tracks. The man stopped too, looking just as surprised. 

It was Richie Tozier. 

“Rachel? Stan?” he asked, frowning at us both. 

“Richie!” I blurted out, still in a bit of a daze. 

“Rachel, holy fuck I can’t believe you’re finally back in Derry! God, it’s been years!” said Richie, pulling me in for a tight hug. 

“It’s really good to see you again, Richie, kind of a weird time to bump into us though,” I said, hugging him back. 

“Why? You guys on a date or something?” Richie teased, grinning at us both. 

Stan went red. “No, of course not! We-we were just catching up is all,” he shook his head. “That’s not important right now - Rachel wants to head back to Neibolt and I’m trying to convince her that this is a terrible idea!” 

Richie’s smile disappeared, and he frowned once again. “Neibolt? Why the hell do you wanna go back there?” he asked. 

Stan rolled his eyes at me as if to go ‘see?’, I glared at him and turned to Richie. “I know it sounds crazy-” 

“You’re tellin’ me!” Richie interrupted. 

I sighed, and continued. “But hear me out ok? Look, you remember that Clown right? You remember IT?” 

“I wish I could forget, really,” said Richie, scratching his head. 

“Why should we have to wait another couple of years to see if this thing comes back? Why not go set fire to that son of a bitch and end it all now?” I said. 

“This whole thing seems like a crazy idea, and that’s a lot coming from me. Like, how will you know we’ve killed it for sure?” Richie asked. 

“I mean, we weakened it last time we fought it - and it’ll be vulnerable now that it’s sleeping, we’ll never know unless we try, right?” I said, looking hopeful. 

Richie bit his lip, looking over at Stan. Stan shook his head desperately. 

Richie sighed. “I guess you’re right, Rach. I suppose trying is our best option, I don’t think I wanna wait around for that thing to come back - if it does,” said Richie. 

“Oh God, have you both gone insane?” said Stan, frowning at us. 

“I won’t rule that one out, Stan the Man, but maybe Rach is on to something here! Besides, I’m super bored tonight, this might be exciting,” said Richie, flashing Stan a cheeky grin. 

I smiled back at Stan. “C’mon Stan, don’t back down now!” 

I began walking to my truck with Richie, Stan fidgeted and looked back and forth at us. 

“God damn, I can’t believe I’m getting myself into this mess,” he mumbled to himself. “Fine, I’ll go with you - but I’m not stepping foot down that well. I’ll just keep watch outside it!” 

“Atta boy, Stan!” said Richie, opening the back door of the truck and letting Stan jump in. Richie sat in the front next to me and began inspecting the truck. “Nice wheels, a little rough around the edges but she’s pretty sweet!” 

“Betsy, my pride and joy, this baby’s been everywhere with me and not a single problem!” I said, patting the steering wheel. 

“Well, I mean, it certainly looks like it’s been everywhere!” Richie teased, earning him a glare from me. 

“Make fun of Betsy, and I’m leaving you in a ditch,” I said. 

Richie raised his hands in apology. “Touchy!” 

We finally arrived outside Neibolt after a relatively short car ride, I hopped out of the truck with Richie and Stan, the three of us standing and staring at the all too familiar house in front of us. It hadn’t changed a bit, if anything it looked creepier. I swallowed hard, clenching my fists before making my first wobbly steps towards the door. Richie followed, and Stan shortly after. I gently pushed the door open, it creaked loudly and eerily, sending shivers down my spine as I looked in at the pitch black room before me. Darkness surrounded the cold rooms, and I was thankful I had remembered to grab my flashlight from the truck. I fumbled with it, my hands shaking, before switching it on and suddenly being able to see everything in front of me. The house was covered in cobwebs and dust, and the floorboards groaned against our weight as we took each step closer towards the basement. 

We made our way down the stairs, the steps creaking loudly, before one of the steps broke away beneath Stan’s feet and sent him tumbling down against Richie, who soon enough brought me down with him. We hit the dusty floor, groaning in unison at the pain from the fall, but thankfully it was nothing too drastic. I stood up, brushing the dirt from my jeans and shone my flashlight in front of me, suddenly taking in the large well that stood proudly in middle of the room. I could see the rope we’d tied from last time was still hanging over it, I wondered if it was still stable. I walked over to it and gave it a couple of hard yanks, it didn’t snap. Satisfied, I turned to both Richie and Stan, who weren’t far behind me. 

“I’m gonna go down, do you guys have any flashlights on you? Seeing as I’m taking this one with me,” I said, lifting up my own. 

Stan shrugged and turned to Richie, who pulled out a lighter. “This is the best I got,” he said.

I sucked my teeth at them. “I suppose it’ll do for now, I’ll try not to take too long,” I said, grabbing hold of the rope once again. 

Stan quickly interrupted. “Wait, Rachel! D-don’t you think...maybe Richie should go with you?” he asked. 

“Me? Why do I have to go down to some smelly old sewer?” Richie protested.

“Stan, are you sure you want to be left alone up here?” I said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well...not really...” he mumbled. 

“I’ll be fine on my own, Stan. Trust me,” I said, though my heart was beating fast against my chest. 

Stan didn’t look convinced, either. He bit his lip in that same way he always did when he was nervous about something. I grabbed hold of the rope and hauled myself up onto the well, twisting my legs around the rope, I slowly began descending down into the darkness. 

“F-fuck it - Rachel! I’m coming with you!” Stan announced all of a sudden, shakingly taking hold of the rope and climbing down after me. 

“Whoa, whoa, and leave me on my own here in some haunted crackhead house? Fuck that!” said Richie, also grabbing the rope. 

“Oh my God, you guys are ridiculous,” I said, but I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. I had reached an opening and crawled inside it, the strong stench from the sewer hitting my nostrils and causing me to gag. Stan soon followed me in, then finally Richie. 

All three of us, huddled in a stinking tunnel, how oddly familiar. 

“Just like old times, eh guys?” I said, shining the flashlight ahead and crawling my way towards the end of the tunnel. 

“I mean, who doesn’t love splashing around in shitty water?” said Richie, snorting. 

“Beep beep, Richie,” said Stan, grimacing as he felt his hands come into contact with the cold and bacteria-ridden water. 

We reached the end of the small tunnel and climbed out into a larger one, at least we were able to stand up now. We continued on, conscious of the splashing sounds our feet made as we took each step, I didn’t want to think about what would be lurking beneath the murky waters. I kept my eyes straight ahead, the tunnel seemed never ending until we reached a large and rusty metal door. 

“Gimme a hand with this,” I asked, grabbing hold of the large handle. 

Richie and Stan quickly grabbed hold of the handle as well, all three of us twisted and shoved the door hard, an audible _click_ was heard and the door creaked loudly as we successfully pushed it open, revealing an eerily familiar and wide-open room. In the center was a large pile of every bit of trash you could think of, old toys, bicycles, trailers, jack-in-the-boxes, just to name a few.  
The object that stuck out the most, however, was the large trailer that stood surrounded by all this rubbish, with an equally large sign that read “PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN”. 

I felt a chill travel down my spine. I clutched my flashlight tightly, my knuckles turning white.

Richie and Stan were also silent, and I wondered if they too were having second thoughts about all this. Third thoughts, even. My eyes scanned the rest of the room before laying upon the familiar circular mound at the far corner, the last place they’d seen IT before it descended into the darkness below. I felt a lump rise in my throat and tooking wobbling steps towards it, breathing heavily. I slowly peered over the edge, into the eerily black hole, everything was silent. I dared shining my flashlight down it, but the hole seemed to go on and on and on. I mentally punched myself. What was wrong with me? I was so eager to do this, and now I was stunned into place, utterly frightened at the thought of what might happen if I went through with my plan. 

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Stan spoke up. 

“Rachel? You ok?” he asked, his voice cracking a little. He was just as scared as I was. 

“I’m fine...I’m just...just thinking,” I said. I felt around for my lighter in my pocket and pulled it out, staring at it. 

I looked down into the hole, I looked over at the large pile of garbage. I could see everything, remember everything. The kids floating, the torment that thing put us through, all that death, all that fear...

Maybe that’s why I set fire to the place, before dropping my lighter down into the dark hole and screaming profanities at the possibly dead lifeform in the depths below. 

“Holy fuck, Rachel!” Richie yelped, watching as the garbage pile before him was now ablaze with flames engulfing every inch of it. 

“Jesus fucking Christ!!” Stan yelled, panicking. He ran over and grabbed hold of my hand, wrenching me away from the mound and running as fast as he could out of the room with Richie. I had tears streaming down my face, unable to control myself. The trauma and fear all overwhelming me at once. I managed to regain my composure long enough to allow me to climb up that rope as fast as Richie was yelling at me to, before we all collapsed onto the safety of Neibolt’s dusty floor. 

The three of us stood up, breathing heavily and exchanging worried looks between each other. 

“I can’t believe you just did that, Rachel,” Stan started, trying to catch his breath. “What if you blow up the entire sewers?!” 

“Don’t be so dramatic, Stan. But still...fucking hell, Rachel, are you _nuts?_ ” Richie spat, wiping dirt off his cheek. 

“I’m sorry - I-I don’t know what came over me, I just saw that place and...I fucking snapped, ok?” I said, my heart beating fast. 

“We could get in so much shit for this,” Stan groaned. 

“Here’s hoping the fire dies down before anyone finds out,” said Richie, fixing his glasses.

I felt a sudden sharp pain in my head, causing me to fall to my knees. “Fuck!” 

“Rachel? Are you- agh!” Stan dropped to his knees beside me, his hands clutching his forehead. 

“Shit!” Richie yelped, keeling over and gripping his head. 

The pain was getting worse, spreading to my temples, and all of a sudden my vision started going hazy. I looked over at Stan one last time before everything went black...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh Im so sorry this took forever to upload!! I was having trouble with motivation and wondering how this chapter was gonna play out, I wanted it to be longer but decided against it in the end. 
> 
> Enjoy!! I'll try to update faster as I'm excited to start on chapter 3 ooooh!!! 
> 
> ~ Kisa


	3. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel wakes up and doesn't remember how she got home. She goes to school and sees some familiar faces, some of which she wish she didn't have to see.

“Rachel? Sweetie, wake up. It’s time for school.” 

I was startled awake by my dad, I looked around and noticed I was in my room. I must have looked very confused because my dad was staring at me, looking concerned. 

“You ok, Rachel?” he asked, snapping me back to reality. 

“I-I’m fine dad, just a little disorientated from my sleep is all,” I said, frowning. 

“Be down in 10, Susan’s gonna have breakfast ready for you,” said Dad. He walked out of the room and left me to gather my thoughts on what the hell was going on here. 

I sat up, clutching my head, trying to remember what happened yesterday. We were down in the sewers...Richie, Stan and I. I set fire to that pile of garbage and threw my lighter down into the hole, we got out and then I got this really sharp pain in my head. After that, I must have passed out because it’s all a blur from there on. 

But then, how did I get back in my room? I needed to find out if Richie and Stan experienced the same thing. It can’t just be me losing my mind here. I jumped out of bed and quickly stripped out of my PJ’s, taking a quick shower before pulling on my outfit for the day: my black leather jacket, KISS tank top, black shorts, and my Doc Martens. I qucikly applied some makeup so I didn’t look as much of a zombie, combed my hair, and made my way down the stairs into the kitchen where Susan was cooking breakfast. She placed a plate of eggs and bacon down in front of me once I sat down at the table. I felt ill looking at it, which was strange because I normally loved eggs and bacon. 

“Mm, this looks really great, thanks Susan - but I’m actually feeling a bit sick, I’ll just stick to coffee,” I said, forcing a smile and taking a sip from my mug. 

“Are you sure? You need to eat something, Rachel. You look really pale,” said Susan, raising an eyebrow at me. 

“I’m always really pale. I’m just not in the mood for food, I think I’m just nervous about school,” I lied quickly, hoping she’d buy it. 

Susan looked at me sympathetically. “Oh Rachel, you’re gonna be fine! Your friends will be there, Stan seemed pleased to have you back yesterday anyway,” she said. 

“Mmm, I suppose. Anyway, I better get going, I don’t wanna be late on my first day,” I said hurriedly, draining the last few drops of my coffee and grabbing my bag before heading out the door. 

I couldn’t relax, everything felt so surreal, almost like this was all a dream. Maybe yesterday was a dream, some crazy nightmare and I’ll see Stan and Richie today and we’ll laugh about it. Crazy old Rachel and her stories, they’d say. I remembered the rest of the Losers, and for a moment I stopped worrying about what happened and started looking forward to seeing them all again, it was comforting and that was something I needed right now. Maybe school will be the perfect distraction from all this crazy shit. 

I saw the familiar building of Derry High come into view, and it felt strange. It hadn’t changed a bit, just like a lot of things in this town. I pulled my car into the nearest parking space and switched it off. I sat in the car for a moment, peering out of the window and the many students running up and down the place, I wondered if I could spot any of the Losers or would they be inside already? I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, looking around at the familiar environment around me. Some kids stared as I walked passed them, obviously clocking that I was the new (but not so new) kid. 

Great, so much for wanting to slip in unnoticed. 

I quickly marched inside and headed to the office, according to Dad they should have my class roster all ready for me to pick up. There was a young-ish secretary at the office when I opened the door, she smiled sweetly at me, I didn’t recognize her so she must have started here sometime during my absence. 

I waggled my fingers at her. “Hey, I’m just here to pick up my class roster. I’m Rachel Gibson, um, I’m just starting today,” I said, feeling a little awkward. 

“Oh yes, I was informed you’d be coming today. Here’s your class roster, locker number and combination all ready for you, dear. From what I’ve been told, you’re not new to Derry High, right?” she said, still smiling. 

“Oh no, I used to go here, but then I moved to LA for a couple of years and ta-dah - I’m now back here in this one-horse town,” I said, making a dramatic gesture. 

The secretary chuckled kindly. “Well, it’s a little late in the year but I’m sure you’ll catch up in no time, I’m Bethany by the way. If you need any help you know where to find me! Good luck!” 

I smiled at her and waved goodbye, I headed out of the office and made my way down the hallway towards the lockers. I looked down at the sheet of paper in my hand and seen that my locker number was 130, pretty certain that was my locker number when I was still in school here - but I also could be wrong. I found it in no time and quickly shoved some books inside it, now all I needed to do was find my homeroom and hopefully the rest of the Losers, I prayed I wouldn’t draw too much attention to myself. I began walking down the corridor passed a couple of rooms before I heard loud voices in the room next to me, familiar voices at that. I stopped abruptly and turned to peer in the small window, wanting to know who was in there, I seen a group of kids huddled around each other, laughing and messing about. The taller one with glasses and a mess of curly hair was torturing a smaller boy with a stick of glue, prodding him in the arm with it and laughing. 

It was none other than Richie and the rest of the Loser’s Club.

I grinned wildly, the six of them were the only ones in the classroom so I could gladly burst in without drawing attention from anyone else. I wrenched open the door and strided in. 

“I’m back, bitches!!” I announced, arms open wide. 

The Losers stopped talking and looked shockingly at my sudden appearance, before Ben called out. 

“Rachel! Oh my God, you’re back!!” he said, quickly getting up from his seat and running over to me, soon followed by the rest of the Losers bar Richie and Stan, who hung back laughing at us. 

I was pulled into the biggest group hug, surrounded by all my best friends shouting and laughing, I couldn’t have asked for anything better right now. 

“I thought LA took you away for good!” said Beverly, squeezing me tightly. 

“And I thought you moved to Portland!” I said, sticking my tongue out playfully. 

“I did, but then my aunt thought it’d be better for me to be close to my friends - so I’m living with my cousin at the moment!” she said, grinning. 

“I’m so glad you’re back! Was LA as filthy as everyone says it is?” Eddie asked. 

“Oh yes, Eddie. Extremely. I’m covered head to toe in LA germs right now!” I joked, causing Eddie to suddenly spring away from me. 

“It’s g-great to h-have you b-back, Rachel - D-Derry hasn’t b-been the same w-without you!” said Bill, grinning at me. 

“It’s good to be back, Bill. I’ve missed you guys,” I said, hugging them all tightly. 

Our little reunion was soon interrupted by the sound of someone coming into the room, or should I say certain people. 

“Oh look, a Losers’ reunion, how absolutely heartfelt!” came the mocking voice of Henry Bowers himself. 

We all turned to see Henry and the rest of the infamous Bowers Gang standing by the door, I swear in the last five years or so these guys hadn’t changed much - Henry still sported that stupid mullet. But I was even more surprised to see that they were still here. Especially that creep, Patrick Hockstetter. He had that mischievous smile plastered on his face right now, looking me up and down like I was a piece of meat. 

I rolled my eyes. “Well if it isn’t Henry _Bowels_ , held back a year with your boyfriends I see? Bet Daddy wasn’t very pleased with that,” I said, just as mockingly. 

Henry narrowed his eyes at me. “Just because you’re the DA’s fucking daughter, doesn’t mean you get a free pass, sweetcheeks. So I’d watch your mouth now that you’re back in my town,” said Henry. 

“Oh my, I’m positively quivering,” I responded, dryly. 

“Rachel!” Eddie hissed, nudging me. 

“Oooh, we’ve got ourselves a little bit of a spitfire, here!” Patrick teased, walking up to me and grabbing a hold of my chin, tilting my head up to him. He licked his lips, flashing me a toothy grin. 

I slapped his hand away from me. “Don’t touch me, Cockstetter!” I snapped. 

Patrick let out a laugh. “Oooh, sweetheart, let’s not get too excited. Just a reminder that I don’t need your permission if I wanna touch you, better keep that in mind next time you wanna get on our bad side,” he said, grinning. 

“Rachel, please don’t,” Stan mumbled to me, tugging at my arm. 

Henry smirked at me, taking a few steps forward. “I’m starting to think you’ve left all your manners back in LA, so how’s about I help remind you.” 

He grabbed a hold of the front of my top and pulled me towards him, clenching his fists. I was fully prepared for him to punch my lights out, when all of a sudden the bell for first period rang. Henry sighed and pulled me closer to him. “I’m not done with you, so you’d better watch your back, punk bitch.” 

He pushed me away with such force I nearly toppled over on top of Eddie, and made his way out the door with the rest of the gang, leaving us to glance anxiously at one another. 

“You really shouldn’t have provoked him like that,” said Stan, looking nervous. 

“They’ll be after you now,” said Eddie, biting his thumb. 

“Shit, I didn’t think that through. I almost forgot how much of a problem these assholes were, why the hell are they still here anyway?” I asked. 

“They failed their exams and were put back a year after you left, so sadly they’re doing their senior year with us,” said Ben. 

“God dammit. I’m surprised Henry hasn’t been locked up yet, Hockstetter especially. That guy is a raging psychopath,” I said, grimacing. 

“You can say that again, better watch your back though - I know you’re not exactly fresh meat, but you know how he gets around pretty girls, and I saw him looking you up and down a bit too much,” said Richie, patting my shoulder. 

“Oh joy, now I gotta deal with horny Hockstetter, so nice to be back in Derry!” I said, sarcastically. 

“Well at least you have us now! We’d better hurry on to class though, we don’t wanna get in trouble,” said Beverly, walking towards the door. 

We headed to our first class of the day, which was English. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to introduce myself, until I realized our English teacher was new. He was quite young-ish looking, with dark hair and glasses surrrounding his dark eyes, his eyes were looking at me now - he smiled and clapped his hands together. 

“Right, class! Before we get into our lesson for today, we have a new student joining us - or not so new as I’ve been told. Rachel Gibson, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?” he asked, grinning. 

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. So much for wanting to avoid the awkward introductions. 

“Uhh, do I really have to do this now?” I asked. I could see Richie snickering at me in the corner of the room with the other Losers. 

“Oh come on now, Rachel. There’s no need to be shy,” he said. 

“Um, well I used to live in Derry, then I moved to LA for the last 5 years, and now I’m back,” I said, lamely. 

“Short and to the point, I see. Well I do hope you enjoy my English lesson, I was told you were quite into your Literature!” he said, smiling at me.  
“You could say that!” I said, shifting from one foot to the other. 

“I shall not torture you further, please take a seat and we can begin our lesson!” he said. 

I gave him a quick smile and scanned the room, there was an empty seat next to Stanley, I felt relieved. This was soon short-lived when I noticed Patrick was sitting on the other seat next to it, I mentally rolled my eyes. He gave me a toothy grin as I walked up to my seat, I tried to avoid his gaze and sat down, I looked over at Stanley and gave him a little wave. He grinned and waved back, before turning his attention to the teacher. I suppose I should have done the same, English was one of my favorite subjects and this new teacher seemed really cool, but my mind was still occupied with the events from last night. I still hadn’t gotten around to asking Richie and Stan what happened after we passed out. I pulled out a page from my exercise book and began scribbling down a small note, from the corner of my eye I could see Patrick staring at me; trying to take a peek at what I was writing. 

“Tsk tsk, you shouldn’t be writing notes in class, sweetheart,” he said quietly, chuckling at me. 

“And _you_ shouldn’t be talking in class,” I hissed back, shielding my note from him. 

I looked up to see if the teacher wasn’t looking in my direction, and quickly passed the note over to Stanley. He tore his attention away from the lesson and looked at the note, puzzled. He began to read it: 

_**“Do you remember how we got home last night?”** _

Stan turned over the note and began writing something on the back, he checked if the coast was clear and passed the note back to me. I quickly began reading his response: 

_**“I don’t remember anything, we’ll talk more about it at lunch.”**_

That was good enough for me, at least I knew now it wasn’t just me that couldn’t remember what happened after we passed out last night. I tried to focus on the rest of the class for now, we still had Maths and Geography to get through until lunch time, so I might as well try and focus on catching up. It was quite difficult, however, with Patrick constantly trying to grab my attention and talk to me in class. He’d been poking and prodding me in Geography for far too long, until I grabbed the pencil he’d been poking me with and tossed it to the back of the room. It only succeeded in getting me in trouble with our Geography teacher, Mrs Williams, so I had to retrieve the pencil in shame and hand it back to Patrick, the smug look on his face irritated me to no end. 

At least the bell for lunch finally rang, and I dashed to join the other Losers at long last. We sat down in a nice secluded spot on the steps behind the school, Susan had packed a turkey sandwhich for me - but I only had a few mouthfuls, I was too focused on wanting to tell the gang what happened yesterday. 

“It’s so nice that we’re all together again, like old times!” said Beverly, biting into an apple. 

“Well, nearly all of us. Mike’s still home-schooled, so we just hang out with him after school whenever he’s free from work,” said Eddie. 

“It’s really great and all, but I hate to put a downer on the situation. Rachel, I think you have something to tell everyone,” said Richie, raising an eyebrow at me. 

“Hey, it wasn’t just _me_ that did it!” I protested. 

“But it _was_ your idea!” said Stan. 

“Wh-what d-did you d-do?” Bill asked. 

The rest of the turned to look at me, anxious expressions plastered on their faces. 

“OK, I’ll tell but please promise you won’t freak out at me?” I said, stuffing my turkey sandwich back in the bag. 

“We p-promise!” said Bill. 

“Ok, well, you guys remember that Clown, right?” I began. 

I could see the color fade from their faces, and they nodded slowly. 

“Right. So yesterday I hung out with Stan, and we were talking about what happened that summer. I thought, what if that thing isn’t dead? What if it’s still down in the sewers, resting, until it wakes up to start that nightmare all over agan?”

Bill was chewing on his bottom lip, while Eddie started biting the nail on his thumb. I could already see they didn’t want me to continue this story, but I had to. 

“So I thought, why wait for that to happen? Why not just go down and make sure that son of a bitch is dead for good? So I got Stan, and Richie, to go to Neibolt with me,” I continued. 

“Oh God, you didn’t actually?” Eddie gasped. 

“We did, and we went down there, it smelled like shit, everything was just as I remembered it, and Rachel went full psycho mode and set fire to the place,” said Richie, shaking his head at me. 

“Way to put it like that, Rich,” I said, slapping his arm. 

“Jesus Christ, Rachel are you insane?! Do you know the damage you could have caused? What if the entire sewers are on fire right now and we all just blow up because you don’t know what amount of crap people dump in the sewers-” Eddie rambled on, growing hysterical. 

“Calm down, Eddie! Nothing happened, but that’s not even the weird part. We got out of the sewers and all of a sudden my head started hurting, I felt really sick and I couldn’t stand up,” I said, frowning. 

“Same thing happened to Richie and I, eventually we all just passed out and when I woke up I was back in my bed, I have no memory of how I got back home,” said Stan. 

“I can’t remember anything either, it’s all a complete blur from when I passed out,” said Richie, scratching his head. 

“God, this is all so much to take in,” said Beverly, resting her hand against her forehead. 

“Wh-whatever you g-guys d-did, I h-hope it d-didn’t make a-anything w-worse,” said Bill, nervously. 

“I really hope it didn’t, either. But I think it’s probably dead for good now, I can only imagine it is,” I said. 

“It’s weird though, how come we haven’t heard anything about a fire in the sewers? Unless it didn’t spread out of control?” said Ben. 

“I can’t imagine it would have anyway, it probably died down after we left,” said Stan. 

“Th-that still d-doesn’t explain wh-why you g-guys passed out,” said Bill. 

“We don’t know, weird fumes from the sewers? I’m not really sure what it could have been,” I said, biting my lip. 

“Can we just talk about something else, now? I’m starting to feel nauseous,” said Eddie, grimacing. 

So we dropped the topic and I started telling them about my time in LA instead, trying to lighten the mood after dampening it with my story and bringing back the past, not like we could forget about it anyway. It was always in the back of our minds. 

I wanted to believe that everything would go back to normal now, but something in the pit of my stomach told me otherwise. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning, that something terrible lay in wait. 

_I will devour all disgusting humans._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, again I'm really sorry this took so long! I'm so slow at updating because I'm really lazy and struggle with motivation! I wanted to add more to this chapter, again, but I didn't wanna add too much of the good stuff too soon! So I'll leave you with this :P 
> 
> enjoy!!


	4. Entomophobia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm gonna have to put a bit of a warning here for the people who are just as scared of creepy crawlies as I am, because they're gonna appear in this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The majority of our lunch period was spent on the Losers filling me in on what I’d missed over the time I was away, exchanging funny stories and gossip on the people we knew in Derry. It felt great to be able to rekindle with my best friends, it was almost like we hadn’t been apart for years. It was a good feeling. 

However, our fun was soon short-lived when a familiar gang decided to interrupt us once again. 

“Hope we’re not interrupting your Loser’s meeting, retards,” Henry spat, appearing at the steps. 

Belch and Victor appeared on either side of us, laughing at Henry’s insult. I was almost startled when I felt someone take a seat right between me and Beverly, I whipped my head round to see Patrick leering at me. He placed his long arms around me and Beverly, pulling us close to him. 

“So what we talking about here, ladies?” he asked, grinning at us both. 

I narrowed my eyes at him. “None of your business, Patrick,” I snapped. 

Patrick pretended to look hurt. “Ooh, there’s no need to be rude, Rachel! I thought with you being the DA’s daughter and all you’d have some manners!” I felt his grip tighten around my shoulder. 

“Patrick, just leave her alone,” said Beverly, almost pleadingly. 

“No need to get your panties in a bunch, Bevvy. I’m just trying to be friendly is all, we haven’t seen little Rachel in years after all, isn’t that right boys?” said Patrick, feigning innocence. 

Henry smirked. “That’s right, you disappeared off the face of the earth for god knows how long, it’s only natural we wanna catch up.”

I could see Bill glaring at Patrick’s hold on Beverly, and Stan was beginning to grow red in the face, the boys looked incredibly uncomfortable. 

“But god damn, Rachel. Those years sure treated you good, you look nothing like the Loser you used to be. You look too cool to be hanging out with a bunch of fags like these,” said Patrick, dropping his hold on Beverly and trying to pull me closer so that his face was almost touching mine. I was feeling increasingly claustrophobic, and I didn’t like it one bit. 

“So why don’t you drop these losers, and come hang out with some _real_ men,” said Patrick, licking his lips and grinning mischievously. I felt his hand move from my shoulder, and he reached around to roughly grab one of my breasts. Stan sat up quickly, but before he could say anything I had already reacted. 

“Get the fuck off me!” I yelled, lashing out at Patrick and landing a hard slap across his face, freeing myself from his grip. 

Henry and the rest of his group reacted quickly to this and came charging up to me, Patrick groaned and held his cheek, his eyes dark with anger. His mouth curled into a side smirk. 

“Naughty, naughty. You really have forgotten all your manners, haven’t you?” he said, grabbing the front of my top and pulling me towards him. 

“We warned you before, Gibson,” Henry threatened, grabbing my face. “You’re gonna get it.” 

“Leave her alone!!” Stan yelled, running up to Henry with his fist clenched. 

Henry turned around and landed a swift punch across Stanley’s face, knocking him to the ground. 

“You fucking asshole!!” Richie yelled, jumping on Henry and trying to pull him to the ground, before Henry turned and punched him off. 

There was a bit of a skuffle when all of a sudden we heard a voice yell at us, causing us to stop abruptly. 

“Bowers! Hockstetter! Stop this nonsense immediately!” 

It was our English teacher, Mr. Jefferson, he was walking up to us with a stern look on his face. He turned to look at me and his expression changed to that of slight disappointment. 

“Rachel Gibson, not off to a good start now are we?” he said, crossing his arms. 

“I wasn’t the one that started it, Patrick touched me,” I protested. 

“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing, sir,” said Patrick, smirking cheekily. 

Mr. Jefferson sighed. “Whatever the reason, you can’t go fighting on school grounds. Bowers, Hockstetter, you’ve detention with me at four o’clock this afternoon. I’m sorry to say but that goes for you too, Rachel.” 

“But sir, Rachel was just defending herself!” said Stan, picking himself up off the ground and hastily wiping the blood off his nose. 

“I’m sorry, but rules are rules. You best all get yourselves back to class now, lunch is over.”

He marched his way indoors, leaving us to glare at the Bower’s gang. Henry shot us a dirty look. 

“You’re lucky Mr. Jefferson stopped us, I’d have smashed all your faces in,” said Henry, he turned to me. “Don’t think this is over, I’ll see your punk ass in detention.” 

He shoved passed me with Vic and Belch, Patrick followed soon after - not before reaching his hand out and landing a hard smack on my ass. I yelped, glaring daggers at him as he gave me a playful wink and disappeared inside with the rest of his goons. 

“So much for wanting to have a quiet lunch,” said Richie, wiping the blood off his bottom lip and fixing his glasses. 

I turned to Stanley, his shirt was stained with the blood from his still bleeding nose. 

“Your nose is still bleeding!” I said. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. It should clear up soon,” said Stan, wiping his nose impatiently. 

I grabbed a tissue from my pocket and began dabbing at his nose, he winced. I could see a bruise already starting to form. 

“I’m really sorry this all happened,” I mumbled. 

“Hey, it’s not your fault! Those guys are just a bunch of assholes, you know that,” said Beverly. 

“A-anyway, w-we better s-start heading b-back to class now,” said Bill, making his way towards the door. 

The rest of us followed, rubbing the bruises on our bodies as we shuffled down the corridor to our next class. 

Our last couple of classes had gone by so quickly I couldn’t believe it when the bell rang for home time, I hadn’t even had the chance to mentally prepare myself for this evening’s detention, and I was livid. Stan looked at me sympathetically, angry that I had to stay after school and spend an hour stuck in some classroom with Bowers and Hockstetter. 

“We’re meeting up with Mike at the quarry, you can come meet us there after detention! Though I’m a little nervous leaving you alone with those two,” said Stan, quickly glancing over at Henry and Patrick. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just ask to go to the bathroom five minutes before we can leave and just ditch, that way I won’t have to have another run in with them!” I said, grinning. 

“Well, just as long as you don’t get caught! I’ll see you then, goodluck!” said Stan, giving me a quick hug before joining the rest of the gang out in the corridor. 

It wasn’t long before I found the detention room, and Mr. Jefferson was already seated at the desk reading a book, he smiled when I walked in. 

“Right on time, Gibson. I don’t expect the others followed you here - they’re always late,” he said, raising his eyebrows in mock despair. 

“If I’m lucky they won’t show up at all,” I said, taking a seat at the front of the room. 

“I’m sorry I had to give you detention with those two, but rules are rules, I do hope you stay out of trouble from now on,” said Mr. Jefferson. 

“Lesson learned, sir,” I said. 

I reached down into my bag and pulled out a copy of A Clockwork Orange, it was one of my favorite books, and I quickly got stuck into reading. 

I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere in the classroom as Mr. Jefferson and I read our books in silence, unfortunately good things never last as the sound of the door swinging open at ten past four made me jump in my seat. I looked up from my book to see Henry and Patrick strolling into the room, Mr. Jefferson also looked up in annoyance at the two slackers. 

“Henry, Patrick, so nice of you to finally join us,” said Mr. Jefferson, raising an eyebrow. 

“You’re welcome,” said Patrick, smirking. Henry only grunted in response. 

Patrick locked eyes with me as he made his way to the back of the room with Henry; he licked his lips and grinned at me, making me quickly look back down at the book I was reading. I tried to pay attention to the story once more, but it was difficult to get lost in it, I was too self conscious about the fact Henry and Patrick were sitting behind me. It made me feel uneasy. I could almost feel their stares burning into the back of my head, I kept my eyes glued to the page, not daring to look behind me. It wasn’t until a paper ball hit my shoulder that I tore my attention away from the book, I looked down at the ground to see it lying next to my foot. I nervously reached down to pick it up, keeping my eyes on Mr. Jefferson to make sure he hadn’t noticed. 

I unfolded the paper and read the note inside: 

**_WE’RE GONNA GET YOU WHORE._ **

My heart began beating hard against my chest as I crumpled up the page and got up to throw it in the trash can, I turned back to head to my seat and stupidly made eye contact with Patrick, he had a mischievous smirk on his face as he raised two fingers up to his lips, making a ‘V’ shape and flicking his tongue in between them. I glared at him, quickly raising my middle finger to him before sitting back down, I could feel my face burning and it was hard trying to concentrate on reading again. 

It felt like an eternity had passed until I looked back up at the clock, seeing that it read four-fifty, I knew I had to act fast if I wanted to get out before Henry and Patrick. I cleared my throat loudly, catching Mr. Jefferson’s attention. 

“Um, may I go use the bathroom, sir?” I asked. 

“There’s only ten minutes left, Rachel, can’t you wait?” he said. 

“It’s urgent, I feel sick,” I said, clutching my stomach and feigning a pained expression. 

Mr. Jefferson sighed. “Fine, away you go.” 

I quickly got up from my seat, making sure to grab my bag and hope Mr. Jefferson doesn’t question it, I left my book on my desk to make it less suspicious - I’m sure Mr. Jefferson would keep a hold of it for me. I quickly walked down the hallway towards the exit, overwhelming relief washing over me at the thought of being able to avoid whatever horrible plans Henry and Patrick had laid out for me. That was until I felt that same sharp pain in my head, causing me to stop abruptly. 

“Shit!” I hissed, gripping my forehead. 

The pain kept getting worse, and it didn’t just stop there, soon enough I began feeling incredibly sick. That familiar nauseous feeling in my stomach. I clapped my hand over my mouth, I needed to quickly get to the toilet before I puked all down myself. I rushed back in the direction of the girl’s bathroom, wrenching open the door and throwing my bag to the ground, before I charged into the nearest stall and was noisily sick all down the toilet. It felt absolutely horrible. I weakly dragged myself up off the ground and flushed the toilet, stumbling back out of the stall towards the sink to wash the taste of vomit out of my mouth. I gurgled and spat into the sink, the sour taste still there, I was gonna need to grab some gum on the way to the quarry so I wouldn’t be running around with puke breath all day. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, mascara streaks running down my face. I sighed and grabbed a tissue, dabbing it in some water and wiping the black streaks off my face until I was certain I didn’t look as much of a mess anymore. 

I glanced back down at the sink, a large cockroach had suddenly appeared on my hand. I yelped and batted it off, jumping back away from the sink. The water was still running from the tap, when all of a sudden it halted. I watched, puzzled. The cockroach was still writhing around on the floor. Suddenly another large cockroach squeezed itself out of the tap where the water had been running, it dropped into the sink and began climbing up over the edge. Then another one appeared, and another, and soon enough a swarm began shooting out from the tap, the overflow of cockroaches spilling out from the sink onto the floor as they climbed on top of each other, desperate to roam this new environment. There was a rumbling sound, and all of a sudden an eruption of cockroaches had emerged from the drain, shooting up onto the ceiling like a geyser. 

I screamed loudly and grabbed my bag off the ground. I ran over to the door and pulled at the handle, it wouldn’t open. I pulled desperately, looking back at the growing sea of cockroaches now filling up the bathroom, I banged on the door - hoping to get someone’s attention. 

“HELP! HELP ME PLEASE!” I screamed, pulling violently at the handle, pushing my foot up against the door as I tried to get it open. 

I slammed my fist repeatedly against it, screaming at the top of my lungs. I heard another rumbling sound and looked over my shoulder in horror as another eruption of cockroaches had exploded from the stalls, one by one they all came swarming towards me. I backed myself into a corner, seeing no means of escaping. I turned to the window next to me and tried wrenching it open, but to no avail. I banged helplessly on the glass, shouting as loud as I could at anyone that could hear me.  
The cockroaches began crawling all down the window, making me jump away from it and lose my balance. I fell to the floor, the insects crawled across my legs, making their way up higher. I tried batting them off, but there was too many. The bathroom had become a black sea of these disgusting insects, it was like something out of a nightmare. I shrieked, feeling them crawl across my body and my face, I clawed at them, trying to get them off me, but I was quickly being smothered by their slick bodies and spiky legs piercing my skin. 

“HELP!!! HELP ME!!!” I screamed, sobbing. 

I shut my eyes, crying loudly, when suddenly the feeling of cockroaches on me ceased. I opened my eyes to see that everything had gone back to normal, there was no sign of those bugs anywhere. I was shaking violently, looking around to see where they had gone. It felt so real, I wasn’t imagining that, I wasn’t going crazy. 

What the fuck was happening to me. 

I ran out of the bathroom and out the school doors, tears still streaming down my face, I looked at the time on my wristwatch and seen that it was quarter past five. How the hell had I been in there for twenty five minutes and not heard the bell ring? I didn’t see any sign of Bowers and Hockstetter, but I didn’t wanna hang around just in case and quickly began walking in the direction of the quarry, I couldn’t be bothered taking my car there. I was too freaked out from what happened in the bathroom, insects - especially cockroaches - had always been a massive fear of mine, I couldn’t stand being around them. To have thousands of them all over me at once was too much. I felt physically ill again, but managed to keep it in. I was so out of it, I hadn’t even noticed I was being followed. 

Henry and the rest of his gang had seen me leave the school grounds from where Belch had parked his Trans Am, the timing couldn’t have been any more perfect for them as they watched me stroll off on my own. 

“Looks like we’re in luck, boys,” Henry smirked, tossing the cigarette he’d been smoking to the ground. 

They followed me close by, I didn’t even hear their heavy footsteps as they grew closer and closer, too wrapped up in my own thoughts to even notice. It wasn’t until Patrick and Victor grabbed both my arms that I suddenly realized what was happening. I kicked and fought against their grip, yelling as they dragged me off towards the Kissing Bridge. 

“Get the fuck off me!!” I screamed, struggling to pull myself free from them. 

Henry grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged hard, causing me to stop as he pulled my head up towards him. 

“Shut your whore mouth, Gibson, I told you we weren’t finished with you,” he hissed, spitting in my face. 

My heart was beating wildly, suddenly my tough exterior from earlier had disappeared, I couldn’t even respond properly. I still didn’t register fully what was happening here, was this just an illusion too? What were they going to do to me? 

I didn’t want to find out, but it looked like I had no choice in the matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was meant to make this chapter longer but I was too excited to post an update, so I decided to leave it on a cliffhanger. Sorry! 
> 
> ~ Kisa


	5. Stranger Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel gets hassled by the Bowers Gang and runs into a mysterious stranger.

My back stung painfully as I was slammed against the fence at the bridge, I struggled against Patrick and Victor’s grip but I wasn’t strong enough. I kicked out, trying desperately to get them to let go of me, Patrick laughing in my face at my attempts. 

Henry stepped closer to me, a small smirk plastered on his face. “I’m gonna teach you some fucking manners, cunt.” 

He clenched his fist and I suddenly felt his knuckles connect painfully with my jaw, he brought his hand back and then swung again for another hard punch across the other side of my face - this time catching my nose and lip. I felt blood pouring down my nose, and my lip had been busted open, the metallic taste of blood quickly filling up my mouth. Henry roughly grabbed the front of my top and pulled me closer to him, his nose nearly touching mine. 

“This jogging your memory a little?” he mocked, grinning. 

I turned my head to look up at him, giving him a small smirk, and suddenly spat a mouthful of blood in his face. 

“Not one bit.” I said, weakly. 

Henry recoiled, hastily wiping the blood off, his face contorted with sheer anger as he glared at me. “You cheeky fucking bitch!” he spat, drawing his fist back and landing a swift punch in my stomach, knocking the wind clean out of me. 

I doubled over, coughing and spluttering, until Henry grabbed hold of my shirt again - this time accidentally pulling it a bit too far up so that part of my bra was showing. Henry glanced down, noticing this, and a mischievous smirk creeped across his lips. 

“On second thought, I’ve a more fun way of teaching you a lesson...” said Henry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade, I watched him raise it to the edge of my shirt, and my heart started thumping wildly. 

“H-hey, there’s no need for that now,” I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice. 

“Why? Afraid us Derry hicks will be too much for you? I know you’ve probably fucked half of LA now, but let’s show you what real fun is,” said Patrick, flicking his tongue out and dragging it along the shell of my ear. 

Henry slowly began cutting my shirt, sliding the blade upwards, I knew I had to react quickly. I wasn’t gonna let them go this far. I could see a golden opportunity when I seen Henry’s crotch was within kicking distance, I didn’t think twice and suddenly swung my leg upwards - landing a hard kick right onto his groin. Henry dropped the knife as he fell over in pain, clutching his crotch; I lifted my leg up and brought my foot against his face, using it to push myself up over the fence with such force I ended up slipping out of my leather jacket - as Patrick and Victor still had a hold on it, they hadn’t reacted fast enough to what was going on until I had already tumbled down the steep hill. I scraped my cheek as I landed on the solid ground, I could hear them all yelling after me from the top of the hill. 

“YOU’RE SO FUCKING DEAD, YOU WHORE!” Henry shouted, getting up off the ground and wincing in pain. 

I glanced up to see Patrick, Victor and Belch climbing over the fence and running down towards me, I scrambled to my feet and bolted through the trees towards the river. My heart was thumping wildly against my chest, and my mouth tasted metallic, but I couldn’t stop - I couldn’t let them catch up to me. I ran through the river, almost twisting my ankle a couple of times over the stones beneath the water, I could see the entrance to the sewers up ahead; and I knew I didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. I could hear their high pitched taunts and shouting in the distance, they’d catch up with me soon enough if I didn’t pick up the pace; I reached the entrance and rushed inside the dark and rancid smelling sewers, the cold water splashing about my feet making me shudder. I continued down the dark tunnel, I didn’t have a flashlight on me and I couldn’t really see where I was going. I kept bumping into corners, frightening myself as I rushed through the tunnel, several unpleasant thoughts ran through my mind and I couldn’t help but feel even more on edge than I already was. I kept on running until I hit a dead end, bars blocking my only way onwards. I began pulling at them, trying to pry them open, but to no avail. 

“I’m gonna get you, princess,” Patrick’s voice echoed throughout the tunnel. 

I panicked, looking around wildly for another way out. I could see another path to the left and quickly ran down towards it, I was slowly becoming disorientated - unsure if I was running around in a circle or actually making my way towards the exit, every now and then I expected to run into the Bowers Gang and that would be it, but I didn’t see them at all. Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard them either. I slowed down a bit, trying to catch my breath as I listened for any footsteps. Everything was eerily silent, and I didn’t like it one bit. I continued running onwards, wanting to get out of this place, I kept feeling like someone was behind me - catching up to me, but I couldn’t hear or see anyone. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end, and I could feel my anxiety heighten as I picked up the pace. 

_“Racheeel.”_

The voice felt like it was right next to my ear and I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling utterly paralized. I turned around, I couldn’t see anyone behind me, but I could still sense there was someone there - or something. 

“Wh-who’s there?” I called out, my voice shaking. 

_“Rachel please...please...I need you.”_

It was soft, feminine, and very familiar. I didn’t like it at all, but I couldn’t move from my spot. My whole body felt as cold as ice, looking in the darkness for where the voice was coming from. Suddenly, I could see ripples appear in the murky water ahead of me; something was moving beneath it. I strained my eyes, trying to see what it was, until a skeletal hand emerged from the depths - bits of flesh hanging off it, its’ boney fingers reaching out towards me. 

_“Mommy needs you, Rachel...pleeease.”_

Fuck, no. I couldn’t handle this right now. I let out a scream and began running, further and further I went down the tunnel, I wasn’t even concentrating on where I was going - I just wanted to get away from that thing. The creature that claimed to be my dead mother. To my relief, I could see a light from up ahead; I ran blindly towards it, desperate to get out of this putrid place. I looked behind me to see if that creature was following me, and collided straight into someone as I exited the sewers. 

I let out a high pitched scream and struggled against them, hitting out at the stranger. 

“Hey, hey! Don’t be scared, I’m not going to hurt you!” the stranger spoke up, holding me by my upper arms. 

I opened my eyes and looked up to see two light green ones staring down at me, the man holding me didn’t look hostile in any way. He had short brown hair slicked back, these amazingly high cheekbones, and soft red lips. I hadn’t seen this man around before, certainly no one as attractive as him anyway, I was so mesmerized by his appearance that I almost forgot how to respond. 

“What were you running away from?” the stranger asked, looking confused. 

“S-sorry, these guys were chasing me and- I just was desperate to get away,” I said, my heart thumping wildly. I looked all around me to see if there was any sign of the Bowers’ gang. 

The stranger also looked around, but we couldn’t see anyone. He turned to me once again. “You’re bleeding,” he said, nodding to my busted nose and lip. 

I hastily wiped the blood off with the back of my hand. “It’s fine, really. I was supposed to be meeting up with my friends at the quarry.” 

“Let me take you there, those guys could catch up to you and I can’t leave you wandering off like this,” he said, giving me a small smirk. 

“Look, I’m sure you’re a nice guy and all, but I really can’t risk walking off with a stranger,” I said, backing away towards the river path. 

“I suppose that’s fair. I’m Roman, by the way. See? Now we aren’t strangers,” he said. 

“I guess that’s a start, but I still can’t trust you enough to wander off alone with you,” I said, crossing my arms. 

Before Roman could respond, we heard the sounds of footsteps splashing through the river towards us, we looked over to see Stan and the rest of the Losers running up to us. 

“Rachel!” Stan exclaimed, rushing up to me. 

“Stan!” I threw my arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. 

He cleared his throat, his cheeks turning a litle red. “What happened to you? We were worried sick!” Stan asked, studying my bruising face. 

“Bowers Gang, I’ll tell you about it later,” I said. 

They all turned to look at Roman, finally acknowledging him standing there, he raised a hand up to them and gave them a small wave. 

“Sorry to interrupt, she ran into me and I didn’t want to leave her on her own. My name’s Roman,” he said, holding out his hand to Stan. 

Stan was a little hesitant, but took a hold of Roman’s hand. “Stanley. Um, thanks for looking out for Rachel, we’ll make sure to look after her from here.” 

“Glad to hear it. Well, I best be on my way anyhow. I’ll see you around, Rachel,” said Roman, giving me a small wink before heading off down the path towards town. 

We exchanged confused looks at one another, before Richie spoke up. “I’ve never seen that guy around before, is he new to town?”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t really matter right now, we need to get you fixed up, Rachel,” said Beverly. 

“My car is parked just on the other side, we’d better get moving before the Bowers’ Gang find us,” said Mike, appearing by my side. “It’s also good to see you again, Rachel.” 

“You too, Mike. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances,” I said, smiling weakly. 

We were interrupted by the sounds of people yelling in the distance, and quickly panicked. 

“Oh fuck, we’d better hurry!” said Richie, making a run for it. 

We soon followed Richie and started making our way towards Mike’s car, we piled into the backseat while Mike quickly switched on the engine, and soon enough began driving away from the quarry. 

We ended up back at Beverly’s place seeing as her cousin was still at work for the day, we sat around the living room while Beverly went to fetch a couple of plasters and disinfectant, and Stan had gone off to the kitchen to make some coffee for all of us. I gingerly patted my nose and winced, I was sure my nose was broken and I didn’t want my dad seeing it and making a huge fuss over it. He was friends with Butch Bowers, and I knew there would be words exchanged if my dad found out it was Henry that had done it, that wouldn’t help keep those lunatics off me for sure. Beverly soon returned with the medical supplies and began cleaning the wound on my lip and nose, much to my dismay as the disinfectant stung like a bitch. 

“So, are you gonna tell us what happened back at the Barrens?” Richie asked, taking a sip of the coffee Stan had brought back. 

“Yeah, I mean, I thought you said you were gonna leave class early and avoid Bowers altogether?” said Stan, taking a seat next to me. 

“That was the plan, but something really fucked up happened that kinda ruined that,” I said, wincing as Beverly placed the plaster on my nose. 

“Wh-what d-do you m-mean by th-that?” Bill asked. 

“I asked to go to the bathroom, making out I was sick, but when I was on my way out of the school I did actually feel really sick all of a sudden. It was kinda like what happened back at the Neibolt house, but I felt like I was gonna puke. So I run back to the girl’s toilets and get sick everywhere, I’m by the sink getting myself cleaned up and this huge cockroach appears out of nowhere,” I explained, feeling shivers run down my spine. Even talking about it bothered me. 

“You’re still afraid of cockroaches?” Richie asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes, yes I am, shut up. Anyway, that’s not the worst of it, suddenly thousands of these cockroaches start coming out of the sink and the toilets, it was like something out of a nightmare. The way they were spilling out and covering up every inch of the bathroom, I couldn’t believe it was happening. It felt so real, the way they were crawling all over me, their legs and everything, it was so horrible. But then it just stopped all of a sudden, and they disappeared, it was almost like it never happened. I was so fucking freaked out I just ran out of there, I didn’t even stop to think about Henry and his gang of asswipes,” I said, chewing my thumb. 

“Jesus Christ...that sounds so messed up. Are you sure it wasn’t like, a hallucination? Maybe connected to whatever happened in the sewers?” said Ben. 

“I really don’t know, I’m really hoping that we didn’t fuck anything up down in the sewers that night,” I said. 

“What do you mean? Like...do you think IT isn’t actually dead?” said Eddie, worriedly. 

“No, no of course IT’s dead. Look, it’s probably nothing important. We’ve been through a lot and it probably was just some crazy hallucination, I just don’t wanna think about IT right now,” I snapped, wrapping my arms around myself. 

“Sorry, sorry, so - what happened after you left the school?” Eddie pressed on. 

“I got jumped on by Henry and the others, they dragged me towards the Kissing Bridge and that’s when Henry started beating the shit out of me. That was, until himself and horny Hockstetter started getting other ideas,” I said. 

“Oh no,” Stan groaned. 

“Oh yes, luckily enough before they could do anything I managed to get away, I ran into the sewers and then eventually bumped into that Roman guy,” I said, gulping down some coffee. 

“He seems a bit strange, but maybe I’m just being too paranoid, at least you bumped into him and not Henry Bowers,” said Beverly. 

“I mean, it was lucky I’ll say that. The shitty part about all this is now Henry and his goons have my jacket and my bag,” I said, sighing loudly. 

“Ah fuck, I doubt they’d be willing to give them back so easily,” said Richie. 

“Today has just been such a steaming pile of shit, I’m almost regretting coming back to Derry,” I groaned, throwing my head back against the sofa. 

“Aww don’t say that, we’re just glad you’re back with us again!” said Mike, pulling me in for a side hug. 

“It’s only the first day, it’ll get better! At least you have us, we’ll stick together no matter what,” said Ben, smiling at me. 

I gave him a smile back, thankful for the fact that I was back with my Losers’ Club again. Ben was right, we will stick together no matter what, the way it has always been. Though I didn’t want to mention what happened down in the sewers when I thought I heard my mother’s voice, I wasn’t even entirely sure what I heard as well - it just sounded so much like her. I knew it couldn’t have been her, obviously, but it felt so real. Today had been such a long and eventful day, I just couldn’t wait for it to be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not that happy with how this chapter turned out but ah well, I really wanted to update for you guys! 
> 
> Enjoy~ 
> 
> Kisa.


	6. Lesson In Violence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face comes to school, Rachel makes a deal with Henry and Patrick, dodgeball shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God I'm so sorry this took so long to upload, I have been struggling so much with motivation to the point where I'm hating everything I write and think it's all rubbish, so then I just don't right anything for ages. I've been looking for inspiration to get me back into writing again, so if anyone has any tips that'd be great!! 
> 
> I also wanted this to be longer, but I decided not to because I didn't want to add all the interesting stuff in one and not have anything good for the next chapter.

Seeing as I had left my truck in the school parking lot yesterday, I had to walk to school today. It wasn’t so bad, it meant I got to walk with Stan, and the company was great. My nose and lip were still very bruised today, Dad hadn’t seen it when I got home yesterday - but I couldn’t exactly avoid him this morning unfortunately. He didn’t half create about it. 

“For God’s sake Rachel, only a day back at school and you’re already getting into fights?!” he snapped, rubbing his forehead irritably. 

“I wasn’t getting into fights, dad. I just ran into a pole, jesus, stop overreacting!” 

He left it at that, but I could tell he wasn’t very happy with me. I wasn’t surprised, it wasn’t long before he’d drop the sweet act and start acting like I was a complete embarrassment to him. Didn’t last very long this time, surprisingly. I told Stan about this and he grimaced in response. 

“No offense, Rach. But your dad is a massive jerk,” said Stan. 

“None taken, I agree entirely. I just can’t wait until we’re finished high school so I can get a job and just take a year out, move out somewhere nice,” I said, sighing. 

“I was thinking about doing the same actually, then maybe move to New York for college or something,” said Stan. 

I jumped in front of Stan, making him stop abruptly as he studied my enthusiasm curiously. 

“Let’s just fucking do it! We could move to New York together, live in some fancy apartment and get to do whatever we want!” I said, excitedly. 

Stan laughed. “I don’t know if you’re being serious or not.” 

“Of course I’m being serious! Look, I know you don’t wanna stay in Derry forever too, so why should we?” I said, grabbing a hold of his hands. 

Blotches of pink formed on Stan’s cheeks, he cleared his throat. “Um, I mean, sure it’d be amazing if that would happen. But first we need to pass our senior year, and get jobs.” 

“We’ll make it happen, easy. We’ll get a summer job, save up for a year, and then move to New York!” I said, pulling Stan along with me. 

“What about the other guys?” Stan quizzed, nearly tripping over with how hard I was tugging him down the path. 

“They can come too! It’ll be fun!” I said, almost skipping down the street. 

“I feel like you’re spinning one of your stories again,” said Stan, chuckling. 

I stuck my tongue out at him, giving him a wink. “Maybe, but whose to say I’m not being one hundred per cent serious either?” 

We arrived at school soon enough and made our way towards our homeroom, where we found the rest of the Losers’ club sitting around in the corner of the room, chatting and joking around. They greeted us wholeheartedly once they spotted myself and Stan walk into the room, Richie narrowed his eyes at us. 

“Walking to school together I see? Is there something you guys aren’t telling us?” Richie teased, raising an eyebrow at Stan. 

Stan’s face could not have gone any redder. “N-No there isn’t! We were just walking to school because Rachel left her car here!” Stan blurted out. 

I laughed. “Aww Richie, did you want to walk to school with us too?” I joked, pouting. 

“Maybe! Can’t a guy get a bit of love around here too?!” said Richie, dramatically holding the back of his hand against his forehead. 

“Beep beep, Richie,” said Eddie, rolling his eyes. 

I laughed and turned to look around the room, only to spot none other than the Bowers Gang on the opposite corner of the room. They caught me looking, nudging one another; Henry grinned mischievously and held up my bag, pointing to it and mouthing ‘come get it’. I sighed audibly, turning back to my friends. 

“What’s up, Rachel?” Beverly asked, catching my pained expression. 

“Bowers gang, that’s what. I forgot they still have my stuff, I have my car keys in that bag and everything,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. 

“God fucking dammit,” said Richie. 

“I’m gonna go over, wish me luck,” I said, turning away from them and making my way towards the Bowers gang. 

I could hear Stan protesting but I ignored him, I needed to get my stuff back, or at least find out what _exactly_ they wanted in return before they could give them back to me. 

I could see their smiling faces more clearly now as I walked up to them, I stopped just in front of Henry and placed my hand on my hips, trying to not look intimidated by them. 

“So, I see you have my stuff from yesterday?” I said, raising an eyebrow at Henry. 

“After that little stunt you pulled, you left your shit with us,” said Henry, tossing the bag to Patrick and leaning back against the table. 

“I’m guessing you’re not gonna give it back to me so easily then?” I questioned, folding my arms. 

“You guessed right, but what to get off you is another thing - if I recall correctly, I didn’t get to properly teach you some manners yesterday...” said Henry, his lip curling into a smirk. 

“What, so busting my face up wasn’t enough for you?” I spat. 

“Clearly not since you’re still being a little piece of shit right now,” said Henry. 

“Don’t be so against the idea, Gibson. We could make you feel amazing,” said Patrick, sidling up to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. 

I shoved him off quickly. “Does it really have to be all of you? As far as I’m concerned Henry is the only one who has a bone to pick with me.” 

“But you _did_ slap me yesterday, so shouldn’t I be getting something as an apology in return?” said Patrick, grinning. 

I sighed, there was really no getting around this unless I snagged my bag and made a run for it, but that wouldn’t make the harrassing stop whatsoever. 

“Look, how about this? It’ll be just you, and Henry. But, I’m not willing to go all the way if you catch my drift,” I said. 

Patrick scratched his chin in deep thought, and looked over at Henry for his opinion on the matter. Henry was also contemplating the situation rather deeply. 

“Tell you what, Gibson. Take your bag for now, and you’ll owe us that favor. It’ll be just me and Patrick, we’ll be nice and follow whatever you want just this once, as long as it satisfies us. Meaning, I’m not looking for just a peck on the lips if that’s what you think you’ll be getting away with,” said Henry, with a slight twinkle in his eye. 

I wasn’t sure if I was all that thrilled with the sound of this, but if it meant getting my stuff back then there wasn’t much I could do. “Ok, deal,” I said. 

Patrick tossed the bag against my chest, giving me a toothy grin. “Good choice, it was a pleasure doing business with you. We’ll be sure to cash in on that favor real soon,” he said, winking. 

“Try not to be an asshole and go back on your word, though. ‘Cause, as you already know, it’s not gonna end well for you if you do,” said Henry, smirking. 

I raised my eyebrows, but didn’t respond. I turned around and quickly began heading back to the others, clutching my bag tightly against my chest. I was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing, I just knew I’d made a terrible mistake, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Henry said it himself, if I went against my word it would just make everything worse - and I’d be getting a lot more than I’d bargained for. 

I could see the Loser’s nervous faces as I walked up to them, Stan was the first to speak up. 

“They made you bargain with them, didn’t they?” he asked, nervously. 

“Well, Henry and Patrick did,” I said, carefully. 

“Oh christ, even worse,” said Richie, groaning. 

“I didn’t really have much choice in the matter, they wouldn’t have given my bag back to me if I didn’t agree to _something_ ,” I said, placing my bag down next to my seat. 

“Do I even want to know what you agreed to do for them?” said Eddie, grimacing. 

“Hell if I know, I can only imagine what they want,” I said, shuddering. 

The bell suddenly rang for our next class, interrupting our conversation; I sighed and gathered my stuff together, heading out the door with the rest of the Losers. I stupidly glanced over to see the Bowers Gang not far behind us, Patrick caught me looking and gave me that same mischievous smile, winking at me. I looked away quickly, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself; unfortunately they had Maths with us, so I could only hope he wouldn’t bother me too much in class. 

I sat down at my regular seat next to Stan, pulling out my pencil case and a couple of books from my bag. I took this time to quickly examine the contents in my bag and make sure there weren’t any little surprises stashed in there from the Bowers Gang holding onto it, but fortunately enough everything seemed normal. All my stuff was seemingly untouched, and I let out a sigh of relief. I was about to get comfortable again, when our Principal walked into the room - grabbing our attention, and causing me to sit up straight. 

“Good morning class, I have an important announcement to make today. Mrs. Myers has gone on her maternity leave, so she won’t be teaching you all for the time being - fortunately enough we have an exciting new substitute that will be taking her place from now until the end of the school term, and I’m sure you’ll all be very pleased with him. Please welcome, Mr. Godfrey,” said Principal Keene, gesturing towards the tall man entering the room. 

“Good morning, everyone,” said Mr. Godfrey, flashing a charming smile to the class. 

It was the same man from yesterday. It was Roman. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and turned to look over at Stan, he looked at me with a confused expression plastered on his face, his eyebrows knitted together. 

“It’s that guy from yesterday,” he whispered to me. 

I nodded, still a little dazed by this sudden coincidence. Roman’s eyes caught my gaze, and he gave a quick smile, nodding his head at me. I could feel my cheeks heat up, and I quickly avoided his stare. 

Principal Keene left us with Roman at long last once he’d finished his introductions, Roman smiled at us all - there wasn’t any hint of nervousness about him, as if he’d been teaching us all his life. 

“Principal Keene has already gone through what Mrs. Myers has taught you all so far, so I will be picking up from where she left off - Algebra, I believe. Firstly, however, I would like to do a roll call - just to make sure I’m familiar with everyone,” said Roman, picking up a sheet of paper that was left on the desk for him. 

He began calling out each person’s name in the class, until he reached mine. 

“Rachel Gibson?” he asked. 

“Here,” I said, raising my hand. I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. 

“Ah. It’s good to see you again,” he said, giving me a small smirk before continuing with his roll call. 

I felt all eyes on me once he’d said that, and I wished the ground would suddenly swallow me up there and then. It was going to be a long lesson indeed. 

The bell rang at long last for our next lesson, which was P.E, I was quite an active person so I was looking forward to it - and it meant I didn’t need to feel awkward around Roman anymore. I was about to head out the door with the rest of the gang, until Roman stopped me. 

“Rachel? A word, please,” he asked, gesturing me over to his desk. 

Stan raised an eyebrow at me, but didn’t say anything. He headed over to wait with the others while I sauntered up to Roman’s desk. 

“Yes, sir?” I questioned, feeling a little sheepish. 

“Sorry, I just wanted to ask how you were today - I noticed you’ve got quite the bruises today,” said Roman, nodding to my obvious bruised nose. 

“Oh it’s fine, nothing I can’t handle anyway,” I said, shrugging. 

“I’ve been told about the Bowers Gang by Principal Keene, they wouldn’t happen to be the same boys who were chasing you down yesterday?” Roman pressed on. 

“Um...they might be,” I said, carefully. 

“You’ve nothing to worry about, I’m not going to say anything to them. But if they try anything, don’t hesitate to come to me - I’ll keep a close eye on them,” said Roman, giving me a small smile. 

“Thanks, sir,” I said. 

“I won’t keep you from your next class any longer now, off you go.” 

I smiled and gave him a small wave, then turned around to join the others once again. We quickly headed down to the gymnasium, hoping that we weren’t that late and that Mr. Mason wouldn’t lecture us for not turning up immediately. He was too busy organizing the balls for this lesson to notice us walk in once we did, and we felt a wave of relief wash over us. The rest of the class were doing some warm ups, so we went ahead and joined them to make it look less suspicious. 

“It’s all a bit weird isn’t it?” said Eddie, in between leg stretches. 

“What is?” Richie asked. 

“Y’know, that new teacher - the same guy we saw yesterday at the Barrens,” said Eddie. He let out a yelp as he stretched his leg out too far. 

“I mean it is a bit of a weird coincidence, but I thought he was pretty good today,” said Beverly, reaching down to touch her toes. 

“I know, but like, do you guys get any kind of weird vibe off him? ‘Cause I do,” said Eddie, rubbing his sore knee. 

“I think it’s just you, Eds,” said Richie, flexing his arms. 

“I’m gonna go with Beverly on this one, sorry Eds,” I said, stretching my arms up above my head. 

“Speaking of weird, you might wanna stop stretching so much Rach - a couple of certain weirdos are getting quite the entertainment out of it,” said Richie, nodding his head over at Henry and Patrick. 

I glanced over to see them nudging each other and leering at me, they caught me staring and blew kisses, laughing. I quickly looked away, sighing loudly. 

“So nice to know I can’t even exercise in peace without those fuckheads turning it into their own personal wet dream,” I said, gritting my teeth. 

“You know what they’re like, once they have someone on their radar they’re a nightmare,” said Stan, rolling his eyes. 

We were interrupted by Mr. Mason suddenly calling for our attention, we were all going to be playing dodgeball, much to Eddie’s dismay. He glanced at us with a horrified expression plastered on his face, you could almost see the many excuses circling his mind in an attempt to get out of this. He _had_ sort of hurt his knee during our warmup, but I don’t think it would’ve been enough for him to sit out of P.E. Eddie’s mom was notorious for stopping Eddie doing any sort of exercise in the past, so Mr. Mason was always determined to get Eddie to participate in as many activities as possible. I had already planned to chuck the first ball I got right into Henry’s stupid smug face. For Patrick - I’d aim for his crotch. We were split into two teams, Henry ended up being the leader for one team, while some kid called Josh was the leader for the other. Naturally enough we all ended up on Josh’s team, and by the looks Henry was giving Eddie - I knew who their first target would be. 

The game began, Henry immediately stretched his arm back and fired the ball at full force towards Eddie. He let out a shriek and tried his hardest to get away, but was met with a loud smack to his face as the ball smashed into him, causing him to fall over. 

“God dammit, Eddie. That should’ve been so obvious!” said Richie, frowning. 

“Shut up, Richie!” Eddie groaned, picking himself up off the ground and walking over to sit on the bench. 

I grabbed hold of the ball and looked around for Henry, upon spotting him I quickly threw the ball as hard as I could towards him, he was too busy laughing with Belch to notice - until the ball smashed right into his nose. He staggered backwards, clutching his face. 

“Fuck!!” Henry yelped, blood pouring out of his nose and onto his hand. 

I grinned, feeling satisfied that I had gotten revenge for Eddie, and for Henry busting up my face yesterday. I was about to turn back to head over to the others when a sudden coldness washed over me, it felt like everything had completely frozen into place - like time had suddenly stopped. I looked around me, everyone was stood still, not a single movement to be seen. I felt terrified, and so very confused. What the fuck was happening? 

Suddenly, I saw something move from the corner of my eye. I turned to see a single red balloon floating across the room, it floated further down. Further, and further, until I watched it vanish out one of the doors. I couldn’t deny the chill that ran down my spine. 

“Rachel? Rachel!” 

I was suddenly snapped back into reality, just in time to see a ball shooting across the room and landing with an audible _smack_ into my face. The force of the ball, and my disorientated state, caused me to fall backwards and smash my head against the hard floor. I felt incredibly dizzy, and I could feel my vision going all blurry. I heard the Losers’ calling my name, Mr. Mason rushing over, and then everything went black. 

 

 

 

 

_Y o u ‘ l l f l o a t d o w n t h e r e_

_W e a l l f l o a t d o w n t h e r e . . . ._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really bad at summaries so I may change it once my brain starts working, I wanted the first chapter to be longer but I decided against it. This was just an idea I had in my mind and I wanted to get it out here to see if anyone was interested in this enough for me to keep writing more. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it!


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